O P I N I O N The Forest Fringe co-director asks: while there are shows fi ghting the feminist cause, where are the shows exploring what it means to be a woman?
DEBORAH PEARSON
W uthering Heights at Summerhall and the recent hit i lm Boyhood both interrogate masculinity in different ways, but I wonder: what would their feminine counterparts look like? There is a strong tradition of performance that explores feminism, and as a self-identifying feminist, I love this work. But work that asks ‘How do we achieve gender equality?’ is slightly different from work that asks, ‘What does it mean to be female?’
Although making work about feminism is a kind of activism, making work about femininity is a rel ective act. It takes into account the less progressive and occasionally problematic sides of the female experience, in ways that feminist rhetoric possibly can’t. At Forest Fringe we are working with several artists who are mining the ‘femininity’ territory. Emerging artist Louise Orwin, in a Cindy Sherman-esque fashion, disguised herself as different teenage girls, and joined the ‘Pretty Ugly’ trend online, posting videos and asking the internet if she is pretty or ugly. Her performance Pretty Ugly chronicles the people who watch and comment on these videos, with results that are disturbing and not surprising. Mollie Naylor’s piece is about a young female teenager who needs to be a hero to her family and town when her home is falling into the sea, Laura Dannequin’s Hardy Animal is about the injuries her body suffered as a dancer, and Tom Frankland’s new piece is about transitioning gender. None of these pieces have billed themselves as being about femininity, and I wonder if that’s because the term is more plagued by unwanted cultural baggage (visions of Cosmo articles on how to apply lipstick etc) than masculinity. ‘What does it mean to be female?’ is a question that gets asked or answered far too infrequently. The reason that a television show like Girls got as much l ack as it did for representing only white women, only privileged women, and only New York women, is that it was saddled with the burden of representing all women as one of the only games in town. Comedy at the Edinburgh Festival blew the femininity question open last year, and we’re very pleased to be hosting so many performances that follow suit. Forest Fringe, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Dalmeny St, until 17 Aug, forestfringe.co.uk
UNSUNG HERO We salute the tireless fi gures who devote their Augusts to . . . well, making it all happen
DAN O’NEILL
What’s your W jo job title? A At the F Fringe I I’m front of house manager
for Pleasance. What do you actually do? I manage a team of 30 ushers, making sure they’re at the right place at the right time to look after the audience for our larger venues. Basically we herd the public into neat little lines and reassure them that they’ve come to the right
place. We also tear the odd ticket (more than 200 shows a day), fetch water for people who faint, and engage in banter with people who’ve been drinking all day long. Where are people likely to see you? Most likely in the Pleasance Courtyard in a bright yellow t-shirt, with a radio, darting around, constantly telling people where the toilets are. Constantly.
What’s your most memorable Fringe experience? This is the non- glamourous side of the
industry. Last year I was bringing in an audience of 300 up to a venue, and when I got to the door four people were standing outside, blissfully unaware that they had accidently jumped the queue. I parked my audience on the stairs and approached the group to say they would have go to the back of the (massive) line behind me. This prompted the worst tirade of abuse I’ve ever experienced in my career, with the head of the group shouting about an inch away from my face. Eventually, after his hatred of me had worn off a little, we reached a compromise, and I
allowed them to be let in halfway down the queue so we could get on with the show. About an hour later, a man ran up to me in the courtyard, insisted on shaking my hand and told me I should work for the UN. What’s the worst thing about your job? It’s an obvious one, but it’s exhausting. Last year about two thirds of the way through the festival I had so many blisters from walking on cobblestones all day that I was basically tip-toeing everywhere. But a night off and a bunch of blister plasters later and I was right as rain.
MY EDINBURGH
MAUREEN BEATTIE
My i rst Edinburgh festival experience was . . . When I was about 16. I did the make-up for a show which pupils at my brother Paul’s school were putting on. I had no idea what I was doing but I blagged my way through and learnt as I went along. Edinburgh’s unique selling point is . . . The utter, breathtaking beauty of the city itself.
I am likely to be found . . . In the courtyard at Summerhall, enjoying a glass of wine with fellow Fringe performers. My favourite place to eat is . . . Spoon. Lovely, airy place with delightful staff and delicious food.
My favourite place to drink is . . . The bar at the Traverse. Best spot to get away from the festival madness . . . Why would you want to? You’re in the middle of the greatest arts festival in the known universe!
Edinburgh’s little-known gem is . . . The Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street.
Make sure you see . . . The John Byrne exhibition at the SNPG, and his Dead End at Bourne Fine Art, Dundas Street. The man’s a genius – and he’s ours! The best thing about the Edinburgh festival is . . . Never knowing what new delights might be round the corner.
The worst thing about the Edinburgh festival is . . . It’s too short! ■ Maureen Beattie stars in The Carousel, Traverse, 228 1404, until 24 Aug (not 11, 18), various times, £18 (£8-£13).
7–14 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 13
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